“The fear of walking outside alone as a woman of color has always been there, but after this, it has increased.”

Donald Trump's election to the U.S. presidency last week came as a surprise to many Americans. It also brought disappointment and fear to those who disagree with him, and particularly those who have been targeted by his remarks and proposed policies — and immigrants are among them. After all, Trump kicked his campaign off last year with some dicey-at-best rhetoric about Mexican immigrants, connecting them with crime. Throughout his campaign, he said he would offer "no amnesty" for immigrants. He said he would build a wall across the Mexican and United States border. He's talked about plans for a registry that would target Muslims in America. He's most recently said that he plans to deport 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants who are"criminal and have criminal records." This rhetoric has left many worried for themselves, their families, and their friends.

Teen Vogue talked with 20 first- and second-generation immigrants in their 20s about their thoughts and perspectives on a Donald Trump presidency. Here's what they had to say:

My family and I legally emigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela when I was three-years-old, and the 19 years since haven’t been easy. My parents have worked hard to provide us with a life we can be proud of, and compared to what we left behind, this country is truly great.

In Venezuela, my relatives can’t leave their houses without security. They can’t wear jewelry, they can’t drive, they can’t walk outside and they can’t use their phones in public, all in fear of being gunned down, robbed, kidnapped, or killed. They stand in lines for hours in order to get whatever groceries the stores have that day, and they lose electricity almost every week. The media is censored and controlled, and when people dare speak out against the government, they run the risk of being arrested. Albeit from a distance, I’ve seen what life can be like without basic freedoms and human rights, and it’s not pretty.

Under a Donald Trump presidency, I worry that the freedoms and rights I’ve been given in the U.S. will be ripped away from me, like they have been for my loved ones in Venezuela. I’m not proud of the decision America made last week, but I am proud to live in a country where I have the right to speak out against that decision.

Trump has bashed almost every single minority group, especially undocumented immigrants. I’m worried he’ll rip families apart, and that his unfair rhetoric about immigrants will continue to promote hateful crimes against us. We have to use our voices, our freedom of speech, and our resources to tell the government what we want and to speak out if they choose not to listen. We cannot allow ourselves to be suppressed, threatened, harassed, or targeted by anyone who thinks they’re better than us, Trump included.

I am so ready to exercise the rights that my loved ones have been inhumanely deprived of. I am lucky enough to have never known what it’s like to live in fear, and I don’t plan on starting now. - Veronica, first-generation immigrant from Venezuela

I am very surprised and disheartened by the results of this election. My dad is an immigrant from Peru, and although he is now an American citizen, a lot of my family members who have moved to Chicago are not citizens. To be honest, we are all very afraid of what the future holds. Many of them have visas for the time being, but the hope of extending that visa and eventually becoming American citizens is crushed. We are afraid of the discrimination and hate crimes that so many people are engaging in as a result of Trump winning the election. Many of my relatives are still learning English, and they speak brokenly and with thick accents. I am worried that they will be targeted for sounding different and will not be accepted by our society as a whole, since Trump has basically shown people that it's OK to be hateful toward minorities. The results of this election deeply sadden me and even feel like a personal offense (both because I am from a family that is culturally diverse and because I am a woman, but the latter is an argument for another day). - Christy, second-generation immigrant from Peru

I came to [the] United States from Chiapas, Mexico, with a student visa in August 2012 to pursue my undergraduate degree. I arrived in Chicago at the right time because a few months later, President Obama won his re-election. You could feel the triumph in the city. The next four years flew by and before I knew it, I graduated May 2016. My senior year of college was one of the first times I struggled with being an international student. As an international student here, you pay higher rates of tuition than citizens. It is a premium one must pay for a better education, but once you graduate you are allowed to work in the U.S. for a year on an Optional Practical Training (OPT) status. I filled out job applications in vain when one of the first questions they ask is if you will need a visa sponsorship in the future. Those applications are usually the first to be discarded and I understand why. Sponsoring a person for a visa is not an easy decision for a company. It is also quite expensive. Luckily, I found a job in public relations. My boss is an American citizen with an immigrant parent and she understands my perspective.

I cannot vote here since I am only a guest in this country, so although I followed the election process vigorously and openly showed support of Hillary, my voice does not count. Regardless, I had faith she would win. On [last] Wednesday, my spirit was broken. I had never taken the prospect of Donald Trump winning seriously and that was a mistake. I’m currently in the process of deciding what to do when my OPT status is finished. Going home is not a valid option for me. I have talked to my boss about sponsoring my visa and looked at furthering my education but everything is up in the air. I would love to stay in this country but statistics seem to point out that people don’t want me here. Personally, this is my main concern. As a human, I’m even more worried about how this decision will affect all minorities and the future of the planet with a leader who does not believe in climate change. I’m scared and I have to take things a day at a time with no security as to what will happen. – Maria, international student from Mexico

I immigrated from Colombia with my parents at the age of 12, fleeing state terror and persecution. My family and I moved to the southwest side of Chicago, to a neighborhood know as Little Village, or as we like to call it, La Villita. La Villita is the biggest Mexican neighborhood in Chicago; it welcomed my family with open arms and warming smiles. Growing up in Little Village, I had the pleasure to learn every day about Mexican culture, traditions, and customs. I also got to learn about the hardships that many who had immigrated from Mexico experienced. There were times where my friends wouldn’t show up to class and later we would be informed that they had been deported. The same friends who had shared with me the horrific events that took place while crossing the border, the same friends whose parents couldn’t attend school events because they had to work two to three jobs to sustain their families. Jobs in which often times they would get humiliated and dehumanized for not having documents, jobs who often times wouldn’t pay them and would simply laugh in their face. These families, despite the constant disrespect toward their existence, never gave up. These families are by far the strongest people I know. The day after Donald Trump got elected, I received five phone calls from children in Little Village that I used to tutor. They explained they did not want to go to school because they feared that their parents would be taken away. They cried and told me that they did not understand why the man who had been elected president referred to his parents as criminals when they were the kindest people that they knew. I tried so hard to control my emotions, but I myself couldn’t even respond to those questions. I am scared for the decisions that Trump may take once in office, but I am even more terrified for the extreme levels of racism, misogyny, and hate that became validated with this election. Just the day after the election, people all over the country who are part of marginalized groups began receiving a wave of hate crimes against them. My friends and I attempted to get our minds off the election results so we went to watch a Mexico vs. USA soccer match at a Mexican restaurant. When Mexico won, we cheered. We were approached by a group of Trump supporters who told us to shut up and to realize where we were. They proceeded to tell us that we had no class and that we weren’t worthy of speaking to them because of our accents. The fear of walking outside alone as a woman of color has always been there, but after this, it has increased — because people have gained a perception that it's OK to sexually assault women and to continue the dehumanization of the LGBTQ, Muslim, black, and Latino communities. - Karen, first-generation immigrant from Columbia

Since the election, I've seen many social media posts telling people to leave if they aren't happy with the results of this election, and often times these posts target immigrants. I feel very disheartened at the climate of this country. I don't feel like Trump is making this happen, but I think a lot of what he said during the campaign gave way to these sorts of statements and ideologies. I remember my mother taking her citizenship test around the time I was in first grade. I was terrified at the prospect of my mother not being allowed in this country. I was so relieved the day she passed her test, and so proud. I've always believed that this country gave everyone a fair chance. Since the election I've definitely been more self-conscious about the fact that my mother, my sister, and I all wear hijabs. I'm mainly concerned about the lack of unity in this country right now. I don't understand why so many people are choosing to be hateful. I have been trying to focus on all of the love and support that has resulted from this election as well. I'm choosing to have hope rather than feel afraid, but I definitely understand the fear. - Nuzhat, second-generation immigrant from Bangladesh

I'm a first-generation Iranian-American woman, and this election has gutted me. My mother, who along with my father survived the reign of Ayatollah Khomeini by coming to the United States after the Iranian Revolution, keeps saying to me, "Hameneh keh hast," which basically is the Farsi version of "It is what it is." But I wanted it to be more than it is. So many of us wanted it to be more than it is. And I won't "get over it" for a long time, no matter how many (white) people say that to me — people who can't seem to grasp how afraid, angry, or disgusted I am about the reality we are going to be living in for the next four years. It's a cliché to quote Hillary Clinton quoting Maya Angelou, I suppose, but "when people show you who they are, believe them." Every person who voted for Trump showed me who they are, and I won't unsee that. I refuse to. - Roxana, first-generation Iranian-American

As a startup founder and also an immigrant, I'm terrified of a Trump presidency. Being a female founder in the tech industry, an industry that is predominantly male, I personally had to deal with several cases of sexual harassment. I'm worried the values Trump set will make my life harder... I'm also worried about the ability to hire, as [the] tech industry rely so much on high-skilled foreign workers. Restriction on immigration means we have to hire from a smaller pool, which stunts our ability to grow. This part is the worst and I might consider moving part [of] my company abroad to attract foreign talents. - Hanh, first-generation immigrant from Vietnam

With all the hate crimes that have sparked in response to his election, it's disappointing to see how many Americans are not welcoming toward different minority groups, when America is built upon the union of various cultures. ... I'm worried that the voice of a lot of important issues, from minority groups to LGBTQ rights to women's rights to climate change, will be seen as inconsequential. I am also worried about how young millennials digest the often yellow journalism that is seen in media coverage. We have to be smart about what we read. Don't just read the headline, don't fall for clickbait, don't just get your news from a 140-character limit on Twitter. This election has piqued the interest of many people who were never interested in politics before, myself included, and right now is an important time to do our research and form an opinion. In light of all the negativity, I have hope that people are willing to rise together to prevent ridiculously regressive policies. As cliché as it sounds, trials and tribulations can bring an even stronger voice to important issues into light, and I'm hoping Trump's presidency will only help those fighting for what is right to stay strong, be united, and to never forget that there are people on their side. -Christina, second-generation Korean-American

I feel Donald Trump is unfit to be president for several reasons. I believe the president should lead by example and he has already made so many racist and sexist comments. I believe the diversity of this country is what makes it unique and it would not be the way it is now without the contribution of different cultures. It worries me that he has become president because of all the negativity it has already brought. - Mayuri, first-generation immigrant from India

As an undocumented immigrant myself, the results of the presidential election has shaken me to my core. I woke up Wednesday in disbelief and sadness as I realized that discrimination, xenophobia, and misogyny won this election. Not too many people know what is like to have their mom call them in tears telling you that “we will think of a plan B” because my legal status can be revoked in January. To me, Donald Trump means fear and separation. Under Obama’s executive order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), I felt safe. I was able to obtain a SSN, a license, and financially support my family. However, under Trump’s presidency, my family’s entire livelihood can change. If [Trump] takes away DACA, he can truly put a stop to the lives of millions of Dreamers across the nation, such as myself.

Moreover, [I feel that] Trump has unleashed racism and hatred in our nation. People now feel empowered to yell racial slurs. Several of my friends have already been told to “go back to their countries” and that undocumented students are “just illegal”. White supremacist propaganda has even surfaced on our campus. There are even professors that allude to how great the country will be, when in reality what they consider great is the separation of immigrant families such as mine.

Every day until his inauguration, my mind is filled with fear, and my heart is filled with anxiety. - Mariana, first-generation immigrant from Peru

My reaction to Trump's election is simply fear. As immigrants, we are taught to work hard. So most of the time we keep our head down, work hard, and get through it day by day, hoping that the next time we look up we are better off than when we started. This election was one of those things that shook me to my very core. I was scared as an immigrant and a Latina and as a woman. I have never been so aware of all those qualities about myself as I was after this election.

I'm scared for my future, as I'm about to graduate from college, and the future of my little sister and parents as well. The only solace I have is that half the country disagrees with him. I hope that Trump and his team slow down, and do what's right for once before the country explodes with anger.

I also hope that the government and citizens who vote for Trump take the time to research current immigration policy and become educated on the subject. A lot of the things Trump promised to do are already in place, especially things like refugee screenings and such. People have no idea what the system is actually like, and how difficult it is to come to the U.S. legally — all they want is for it to be "safer" for them...

We are all hurting. It's beyond a Republican winning and a Democrat losing, it's about the heart of the nation and the fact that there is still so much hate from citizens — and more important, there is tolerance of hate. - Cecilia, first-generation immigrant from Paraguay

Although the initial reaction of the election shocked me and upset me, I do not think our country will crumble. I do not respect Trump because of his views on immigrants and women, especially since I am a woman who has the opportunity to be born and raised in America because my parents immigrated here. America is referred to as a melting pot because of all the cultures and diversity that are present in our country. It is never appropriate to talk about other cultures or women the way Trump has. But all Americans need to have faith in the three branches of our government and remember that the president does not solely control the country. The Republican Party doesn't support 100% of Trump's beliefs which will keep the checks and balances alive. Although I have been offended by Trump's words, I think our country will move on — and [it] needs to in order to become one again. - Keyuri, first-generation immigrant from India

Like many, I was pretty set on Hillary winning since [most of] the polls said she would. So when I saw that her supporters got sent home on election night, I knew he had won and I swear I could feel my heart shatter. I have two close friends I grew up with who I consider my siblings and they have been trying to get their green card for a decade and the thought of not having them around after seeing them wait for so long is something I haven’t even been able to process yet. And then my grandmother, who was once an illegal immigrant but lives in Mexico now, always comes and lives with my parents and I every summer. And I’m afraid that I won’t be able to see her nearly as often anymore, and she’s getting old and time with her to me is valuable. And then I also have three other really good friends who are not only Mexican and dark-skinned, but also female and lesbian, so that’s kind of a triple-whammy. I’m concerned for my family getting deported and the safety of my friends and the thought of anything happening to them, more than myself even, really scares me. I have never felt genuine fear of my government in my whole life until now. Trump did this to me and the people I loved. - Arianna, first-generation immigrant from Mexico

My parents came to America when I was about 4 or 5 years old. After the election of Donald Trump as president, we noticed an increase in hate crimes across many different states. As someone who is very visibly Muslim, I obviously have to worry about being a target of a hate crime that may range from verbal assault to actual violence. ... But what worries me the most is the amount of hatred and fear that has become very evident in just a week. The racism and discrimination that has occurred amongst even middle/high school students since the election is very troubling. I worry about children who are growing up during this time and how that will affect them in terms of bullying and violence. This election has shown that racism is very much still alive and is causing harm to our country. And the scary part is you might not know who is racist or not, but when we see that a large majority of Americans voted for Trump even after hearing the hate that he has directed toward our communities, it becomes an actual fear and pretty worrisome. The worst part is living in a country where you know a lot of people don't want you there. However, I'm an American citizen and I have just as much right as anyone else to be here, and I've been spreading that message to all of my friends and connections on social media. Nobody should feel like they don't belong in their own country. I have hope that all of these communities will come together and stand with one another because an injustice against one group is actually an injustice against all of our groups. We've already seen this happen with Jewish-Muslim-black-Latino solidarity in several communities across the U.S., which further gives me hope that change is possible and we as Americans will not let Trump and his hateful rhetoric divide us as a nation. - Heba, first-generation immigrant from Egypt

As an international student from Kosovo living in [Iowa], I am worried about the Trump presidency. I come from a very secular Muslim family, and Trump had talked [before] about making us register in a database. Kosovo has a wonderful relationship with Iowa. We are sister states and we are the only country to have a consulate in Des Moines. Trump has made comments about stopping the funds for NATO. Kosovo was saved by NATO forces in the '90s which resulted in our independence in 2008. Trump has also talked about banning the H1 visas, which are basically working visas, and there is a very limited number of those visas that are given to highly skilled international students, usually in STEM fields. I have been very involved here in Iowa in the political process. The only thing that gives me hope is that Trump had started to take back some of his previous worrisome ideas. - Rinora, international student from Kosovo

I immigrated to America at a young age, so I never developed an accent and to the untrained eye, I look of American descent. With that being said, while Trump’s presidency really worries me, it’s not my own safety that I fear for. My parents came to the U.S. when they were in their mid-30s and while they have done a phenomenal job of learning the English language, their thick Albanian accents have not dissipated. My mom is a woman, an immigrant, and an engineer. Those are three groups that Trump doesn’t seem to value.

My family is legally here and we’re all United States citizens, so I don’t share the fear [of] deportation or other legal issues. My fear mostly lies with [some of] Trump’s supporters. He created a following ... who [I believe] have channeled their fear into hate. Now that he won, these people are more vocal with their hate speech, and the second they hear an accent, they’re quick to judge and attack. My parents left everything and everyone they knew and started all over to give me a better life. I respect them more than I could ever put into words, so to know that there are so many people out there who have an indefensible hatred toward people like them terrifies me. - Juna, first-generation Albanian American.

I think my worries come more as a citizen of the United States and as a global citizen, more than being an immigrant. I was born abroad, but I was basically raised here, so my identity fluctuates. I have spent a lot of time abroad. I’ve worked with the Department of State. I’ve done internships with them and worked with organizations that do international education. My biggest worries right now are what this presidency is saying about our people in general. People, used to say, “Oh, America is this great place. This great nation. We should all aspire to be like it.” And now with this current election, it’s like, “Wow, America is so hateful. I didn’t realize immigrants were so unwelcome.”

I’m not worried for myself, but for the image that this is causing and how much it has set us back as a nation. - Karina, first-generation immigrant from Mexico

As an immigrant, Trump's presidency has me terrified. I am extremely scared for my safety as an undocumented immigrant, and the safety of my black, Asian, Muslim, and LGBTQ friends. Since he was elected, my hand hasn't stopped twitching, I've had to leave class because I felt like vomiting, and my emotions have been all over the place. I am worried that I will have to visit one of my relatives or friends in the hospital because they were victims of a hate crime. I don't remember what my life was before him and it's only been two weeks. I'm trying to be hopeful, but it's hard to do when my friends are being harassed on a daily basis. [Some of] his supporters don't see us as human beings, so we are the most vulnerable right now and we will be for the next four years. - Kenia, first-generation immigrant from El Salvador

I am a special case because his presidency affects me in two ways. First, as a senior on a student visa. I moved to the states about six years ago with my family when my dad got a job in Chicago. Both my parents and my brother are legal residents of the U.S. — they got their papers last year. I was not able to be included in the residency package because I turned 21, which makes me too old to be dependent on my father. So for my 21st birthday, I traveled to Guatemala and changed my visa from a dependent to a student one. This means that when I graduate in May, I must find a job here in the states or go back to Guatemala. Trump has said that he plans to eliminate the H1 (work visa) program. If that is the case, I will not be able to see my parents or my brother. Getting a tourist visa from Guatemala is extremely difficult and expensive.

The other part is as a Hispanic woman, and that part of me is scared. [To me], what Trump managed to do is make xenophobia, racism, sexism, Islamophobia, ableism, and other forms of discrimination acceptable; his campaign and his rallies were built on the premise of hate, of anger, of division. What scares me is his supporters. The people that after the election sent me messages on social media calling me illegal, [a] whore. The people that harass my undocumented friends, my Muslim friends. We share a country with them, we stand in line waiting for coffee with them, we go to school with them, and sometimes they are our friends.

As immigrants, we are easy targets for a lot of misplaced resentment and anger. Whether we come here though the “proper” immigration process, or we cross the desert, or we overstay our visas — to Trump supporters, we are all the same. People tend to think that we are culpable of a lot of things. Maybe you think of us as stealing your job or bringing drugs into the country or criminals looking to harm your kids. But we are humans looking for a brighter promise for tomorrow. - Andie, international​ student from Guatemala

As someone who is the daughter of immigrants, I was in disbelief when I learned of the election outcomes. The immediate feelings were worry and frustration. I was worried about my family: Worried if they were frightened; worried if there is a chance they would be deported despite being naturalized; worried that they would face persecution for being Muslim or Arab... I felt abandoned by the American people, many of whom are descendants of immigrants, and who should know what it's like for each American family to work hard to make a living and establish a place in this "land of the free."

I remember the following morning [after the election] calling my mother and hearing her calm tone. She wasn't afraid or worried, she kind of expected it. My father shared a similar tone. Looking at the bigger picture. If feel like it's almost impossible for Trump's policies to be implemented. And I realize what I am more hurt by is the fact that I thought America was more progressive, more open, and more loving than this. ... If anything, I am now more determined to prove them wrong, and I hope to be a part of a process that attempts to remedy this divisiveness that exists in America. We should be, after all, "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." So, let's prove it. - Malak, second-generation immigrant from Libya